PHILADELPHIA — Haley Gschrey scored a goal in the 96
th minute to lift the second-seeded La Salle women's soccer team to a 1-0 win over third-seeded Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament semifinals on Wednesday night at McCarthy Stadium.
With the win, the Explorers advanced to the A-10 Championship game for the first time since 2017. The Explorers will play top-seeded Saint Louis, which posted a 5-0 win over fifth-seeded Duquesne in the other semifinal match.
In addition, the Explorers extended their unbeaten streak to 11 straight games (10-0-1).
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Explorers and Flyers played a scoreless first half. The Explorers took three shots in the half, two of which were by Haley Gschrey and one by Justyce Hollenbach, but all of them went wide.
- In the second half, the Explorers continued to go toe-to-toe with the Flyers, as their defense kept Dayton off the scoreboard. Goalie Michela Auguadro stopped five of Dayton's eight shot attempts in the half and the defense forced the Flyers' other three shots to go wide of the net to force overtime.
- In the first overtime, Gschrey headed in her goal into the left side of the net after receiving the ball off a free kick from Madison McCready to give the Explorers the lead.
- From there, the Explorers fended off the Flyers from getting the equalize in the first and second OTs. They forced three of the Flyers' shots to go wide and saw Auguadro save two more shots, including one in the 106th minute.
GAME NOTES
- Gschrey's goal marked her eighth score of the season. The junior leads the team in that category.
- Gschrey also paced La Salle in shots in the game with four.
- Auguadro secured her ninth shutout of the season in goal. The junior goalie made five saves while producing the clean sheet.
- McCready handed out her fifth assist of the season. The senior is now tied for the team lead in that category with Giovanna Castorina.
UP NEXT
- The Explorers will look to win their fourth A-10 Championship Tournament on Sunday when they take on Saint Louis at Saint Louis. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET.
